


(a refuge in the) easy silence

by crispycrownkoala



Series: the blessings of tighe [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex and Kara both need some sister time, F/F, Gen, Kara has feelings about the mind-wipe, Kara ships AgentCorp, Sibling Relationship, a tiny bit angsty but mostly fluffy, because they love each other so much, they both feel guilty but don't worry they'll talk it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-06 03:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17931683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crispycrownkoala/pseuds/crispycrownkoala
Summary: Kara has a talk with Alex on sister night. It does not quite go as planned. The next night she has a talk with Lena. And, Rao, that does really not go as planned.





	1. Sister Night

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Easy Silence (Dixie Chicks). Thank you all so much for your kind comments on this series so far. I will do my very best not to disappoint you going forward.

Kara honestly dreads sister night a little bit. She feels bad for it, because her sister is the most important person in the world to her, and she loves spending time with her, and getting together to talk things out (again) was her own idea, but…she hates talking about the mind-wipe.

She hates it with every fibre of her being, more than she anything else, more than Max Lord, Morgan Edge and Rick Malverne together. Because nothing and no one can ever be as bad as being the reason that her sister is suffering. Alex, who continuously and carelessly puts herself between Kara and danger, has always, without fail, chosen Kara over herself. Not counting that first year after Kara came to live with them, when Alex was mean and unapproachable – and Kara is pretty sure that, if necessary, she would have had her back even then – Alex wants Kara’s safety and happiness more than her own. And even when she prioritizes her own happiness, she can’t do it without feeling guilty. That was what clued Maggie into Kara’s secret identity back when they started their relationship, and that’s what Alex has been working on changing for a while now. 

That’s the only good part of the mind-wipe, really, if you disregard the fact that it keeps Kara from being discovered. Alex doesn’t have to feel guilty about putting her happiness first anymore, because she doesn’t have to worry about Kara so much anymore. Or at least she didn’t, but know that she knows her sister’s secret again, they’re back where they started. Kara knows that their situation before the mind-wipe wasn’t ideal, not where Alex’s focus on her happiness was concerned and certainly not where Colonel Hayley’s mission to discover Supergirl’s identity was concerned. The mind-wipe itself may have solved those two problems, but it also threw Alex off kilter and gave her mind-numbing headaches. Now that Kara has revealed her secret to her sister, Alex is still off kilter – always trying to figure out which memories she’s missing or remembering wrong – and she still has headaches, and she’s also back to worrying over Kara and Hayley. The only thing left to do is try and undo the mind-wipe, the mechanics of which J’onn is still figuring out. That will at least get rid of the confusion and the pain. 

So really, the only good thing that Alex got from all of this is Lena. And Kara being (relatively) safe, but that’s beside the point right now. 

And Kara isn’t jealous, she really isn’t, because this is her sister and her best friend and they both deserve happiness and she really thinks they can give each other that; but it’s so unfair, and so depressing, that try as she might, Kara can’t be a good thing in her sister’s life. She’s a hindrance, a problem, the source of her pain. And she’s never been sorrier about anything else in her life. 

“The source of my pain”, Alex repeats tonelessly. And then, stronger, a hint of something dark in her voice: “You think you bring me pain?”

She had barely made it into Kara’s apartment before her little sister had practically thrown her on the couch, put a beer in her hand – an unprecedented move on her part, since she’s usually the one taking the beer out of her hand – and started talking. “I’ve hyped myself up all day and if I don’t say it now, I don’t know if I ever will”, she’d prefaced. And then she had proceeded to deliver the most painful speech – for both of them, she figures – Alex ever had to be part of in her life. 

“I’m sorry”, Kara cries. “For all of this, and for making it about me when it really-” 

“It is about you though”, Alex interrupts. “And me, yes. But you, too. Of course it is. You’ve just ranted about how I put your happiness over mine and yet you don’t think I’m worried about how this is affecting you, too?” 

“You did this to protect me”, Kara argues. 

“Yes, and I can see why I thought I had to make that choice. But I must have known then, just as I do now, that I robbed you of part of your support system. I know there are other people who know your secret, and I know you still have J’onn, but it’s not the same.” 

Kara sighs, fidgeting nervously. “Can I…can I sit down? Next to you?” 

“Why are you asking me this? I know it’s different now, but I’m still here. I’m still your sister and I still love you more than anyone.” Alex reaches over, grabs her arm to pull her onto the couch, then throws her own arm over her shoulders and kisses her head. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too”, Kara sighs. 

“Can I ask something?” 

“What?” 

“After you told me you’re Supergirl, we talked. And then yesterday, I talked to you and Lena about family. And all this time, you’ve seemed fine.” 

Kara ducks her head guiltily, already knowing what’s coming. “What’s your question?” 

“You feeling like this, is it new? Because of Lena? Because of me being with her? Or have you felt that all along and hid it from me?” 

“Which answer will make you less mad?” 

“I’m not mad, Kara.” 

“Disappointed, then?” 

Alex runs a hand through her hair, sighing. “I wish you could talk to me. You’re not a bad thing in my life, you’re not a problem. You’re the best thing in my life, and yet somehow I’ve made you feel like you have to censor what you say to me. Remember what you said to me when I came out to you? You said you could never be disappointed in me. Well, the same goes for you! What, you think the reason I’m doing everything I can to protect you is because I feel obligated? I’m doing it because I can’t stand to see you hurt!” 

Something about this – the whole situation, the confession she has made, the indignation in Alex’s voice – makes Kara snap. “Well I can’t stand to see you hurt, either! And I wish sometimes you’d let me protect you! But you always tell me that it’s your job, your responsibility. You say that I have to trust you, that you may not have superpowers but you can still kick ass.” By now, Kara is yelling, having jumped up from the couch and towering over Alex. “And all of that is true. But you’re a dummy who throws herself into danger and doesn’t let me help and you’re so blinded by this insane belief that you’re the only one who has to fix things that you go and have your memories of me erased!” 

Alex swallows past the lump in her throat. “Kara…” 

“Oh my god”, Kara gasps. “That wasn’t- I didn’t want to say that.” 

“Doesn’t make it any less true”, Alex says softly. “And it’s okay, Kara. I’d much rather have you angry at me than supressing that anger and redirecting it into misplaced guilt about being a problem in my life. Which you’re not. Never, Kara.” 

Kara nods wordlessly, still shocked about her own outburst. 

“Did you know you were feeling that?” 

“No”, Kara whispers. “I mean, I called you a reckless dummy before, but…this is different. I feel…I feel abandoned. I don’t know, my emotions are all over the place right now, Alex, I’m sorry, I-” 

“Hey, it’s fine. Look, this is hard on all of us. And for what it’s worth, I get where you’re coming from. I really am sorry, Kara. I never wanted to hurt you.” 

“I mean, you did. And I feel a really confusing mix of anger and guilt right now. But I also know it’s not really your fault.” 

“It kind of is, though. I don’t have to remember it to know that it was my decision.” 

“It was, and I didn’t like it. But I could’ve fought you harder on it. And if it wasn’t for me, there wouldn’t have been a reason to do it to begin with.” 

“What, if you weren’t Supergirl? If you weren’t a hero? I feel like we’re going in circles. We want each other to be safe and happy, and feel responsible if we’re not. But Kara, the opposite is true. You’re the one who makes me feel safe and happy, and even when I’m sometimes not, you’re the good thing I can come home to.” 

“Family”, Kara says, remembering their conversation from the day before. She’s always considered Alex her family, and for most of that time she has made Alex her benchmark for what family should be. It feels good to know that after everything that’s happened, she still has this to count on. 

Alex nods. “Exactly.” 

“The same goes for you, you know? If I have to let go of this, and work on sorting out my emotions, you have to do it, too.” 

“We’ll work on it together”, Alex agrees. “Now can you please sit down again?” 

Kara plops on the couch next to Alex, giggling happily. “I feel a lot better. Not quite there yet, but, I mean, some things take time, right? So…” 

“So, what?” 

“That was a good talk.” 

“Okay?” 

“I mean, we’ve had a lot of good talks before, but you’re usually you’re not quite so level-headed. You’re a lot more relaxed now.” 

“Than before the mind-wipe?” 

“Sure. You were a bit more easy-going after the mind-wipe because you didn’t know your sister was an alien fighting aliens. But then you got even more relaxed…” 

Alex grins. “Ah. You’re talking about Lena. You’re still okay with that, right?” 

“Of course I am!”, Kara exclaims. “You two are great together. I never saw that before, but then, neither did you.” 

“Lena told you about it, then? That she liked me before?” 

“She did. And that you’ve reassured her about it. I was just wondering. And Alex, I’m not being mean, I promise. But, do you think, without the mind-wipe, would you have ever gotten together with Lena?” 

“Well, I mean, you said before that the only good thing that came from this mess was my relationship with Lena. And I guess it’s true that, because I was missing some facts, I saw her differently. But I have those facts now and my feelings for her haven’t changed. She says that it could be different when I actually get my memories back and those facts are backed up with feelings, but…” 

Alex trails off, lost in thought. There’s a small smile on her face, though, and a look of astonishment. Kara knows Alex better than anyone else in the world, and she knows what her sister is feeling is love, even if she hasn’t called it that yet. “Tell me”, Kara encourages. 

“I just think, I deserve something good, right? And if there’s any kind of fate, or divine intervention…Lena and I would have gotten to where we are now, mind-wipe or not. It just feels…right. Like something I want to hold onto with both hands and not let go. So I have to believe that we would have gotten together regardless. I guess it would have taken me longer to really look at her, but I’d like to think that it would’ve happened.” 

Kara squeals at her sister being so mushy. “That’s really beautiful, Alex. Thanks for being so open with me. And as of yesterday you also have confirmation that she wants kids! That’s awesome. So if, hypothetically, you ran into Maggie, and she wanted to give it another try, you’d say no?” 

“What kind of question is that?”, Alex frowns. “That’s like asking me if I would choose you or J’onn in a life or death situation.” 

“You would choose me, obviously.” 

Alex grins. “Would I, though?” 

There’s a pillow in her face before she’s even finished her sentence and both sisters take a few seconds to enjoy the carefree atmosphere. It can’t last, though. “Seriously though”, Alex sighs, her fingers playing with the pillow that has now found its place in her lap, “we joke about this because we have to, because thinking about this as a real possibility would drive us mad. I mean, what would I say if I had to really answer this? What if one day I do have to decide which one of you to save?” 

“If it ever came to that, you would make the right decision based on the situation.” 

“Do you realize how crazy it is that we talk about this so casually?” 

“Well it’s not real now and if we’re just talking about it hypothetically, it doesn’t hurt anyone. Because neither J’onn nor I are questioning your commitment to us.” 

“And you think Lena is?” 

“Not now, no. If Maggie came back, though?” 

”Do you know something I don’t?” 

“No, I’m just covering my bases! Or Lena’s bases, really. I don’t want you to break up! For bestie night tomorrow, I’m planning to subtly question her about all the things that could pose a problem on her side.” 

“Subtly?”, Alex scoffs, but chooses not to question what those things might be. In this situation, Kara is the sister and the best friend, practically predestined to be caught in the middle. That’s not what she wants for her. “You mean like you did with me? By asking me directly? Yeah, real sneaky, Kara.” 

“I can be sneaky! And stop avoiding the question!” 

“I’m not avoiding. It’s just no easy to answer. What would I do if Maggie came back? For a while, there was nothing I wanted more, nothing I thought about more, and then I moved on and stopped thinking about it. I went on dates, I planned my future. Then Lena happened. Right now, I’m not concerned with what-ifs. Look, with Maggie, it all went so fast. In a really short span of time, I went from realizing I was gay and coming out to being engaged. Do you know that feeling when everything in your life happens so fast and your emotions have to catch up?” Alex waits for Kara to nod before continuing. “With Maggie, it was the opposite. My emotions were there, and I wanted everything around me to catch up. With Lena, it’s different. Everything’s just…right where it’s supposed to be. You were right when you said I’m more relaxed now. Lena relaxes me.” 

“Maggie didn’t? I thought she did. I thought she-” 

“Kara, what you’re doing right now, this comparison, it’s not fair to Lena, or Maggie. Or me, actually. Are you really just making sure that I’m serious about Lena? Because I am.” 

“I know that. And I’m sorry. You’re right, that it’s not fair. And I’m not naïve, I know that you can love someone a lot and the move on from them and love someone else. People break up, people get divorced. But for a while, you were convinced Maggie was the one, and you don’t take stuff like that lightly. And I’m always worried about you and your heart, but in this situation, I think I might worry about Lena more. We’re her support system, Alex. I know how Lena thinks. If things between the two of you don’t work out, she won’t feel like she can count on me. I’m your sister. And if she won’t let me be there for her, who’s going to?” 

Alex sighs. It’s a difficult situation and she knew that going in. Lena doesn’t really have family left – not anyone that counts, anyway – she has very few friends. It’s partly by choice, but also because of her last name. Sam and Ruby are in Metropolis and Lena wouldn’t call them back for a personal crisis. More than ever, Lena needs her best friend. “Bestie night tomorrow is really important”, Alex says. “You have to make it clear to her that you trust her and love her and that none of that has changed. She knows your secret now and she’s with me now, but those are good things, okay?” 

Kara bites her lip. “So you’re worried about her, too?” 

“I just want her to be happy”, Alex shrugs. “I’m always going to worry about that.” She nudges Kara, smiling. “Just like I want you to happy, and I’m always going to worry about that, too. I love you, Kara. I don’t want you to feel guilty or responsible. If you need to be angry at me for a while, I get that. But you're not a problem, you’re not a hindrance, and I might not remember it but I know that I didn’t agree to the mind-wipe to get anything out of it other than keeping you safe. So if you’re that, then mission accomplished. On the downside, I hurt you, and I don’t ever want to do that. On the upside, I got Lena out of it, and I don’t intend on letting her go.” 

Kara leans over to hug Alex. They stay like that for a while, just enjoying the silence and being together. “That didn’t really go as expected”, Kara whispers after a few minutes. “No pizza, no potstickers. No ice cream.” She grabs the beer Alex had put down on the coffee table sometime during their conversation. “You didn’t even take a sip!” 

“Is that a problem?” 

“We didn’t watch any movies!”, Kara exclaims scandalized. 

“We talked”, Alex points out. 

“We didn’t hit any of the corner stones of sister night.” 

“Yeah, neither of us cried”, Alex smirks, fake disappointment in her voice. “You did hit me in the face with a pillow, though.” 

“Oh, true”, Kara smiles. “Will you stay? Order some food? We can skip the movies. I just want…can we just sit here for a while, doing nothing? I’ve missed you when you didn’t know who I was, and then you got together with Lena, and I just…”

“Best idea I’ve heard all day”, Alex agrees. “Let’s just be here. Together.” 

“Together”, Kara echoes. “El mayarah.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s become very clear to me that writing from Kara’s point of view is about 100x more difficult for me than writing from Alex’s or even Lena’s. That’s probably because I think about Alex a lot more than about any other characters. This has been a valuable lesson for me – you can expect all future chapters/parts to be written from Alex’s and Lena’s side of things.

Here’s a condensed list of things Kara can hear right now:

The steady dripping of a faucet two floors below. 

Sirens, a car alarm, a door thrown shut. 

A couple arguing, a movie on TV, a shower running. Bed springs. 

Lena breathing. 

When she first came to earth, noises like these were constant, because she didn’t know how to turn them off. But she has long ago learned to control that, so now she has to concentrate – not hard, but still – in order to hear all these noises around her. 

And she is. She’s concentrating right now, but not because she wants to hear vacuum cleaners or high heels on concrete or the clinking of glasses, but because she’s looking for a specific sound. Unfortunately, that specific one is top of the list of the very few things Kara can’t hear right now: 

Lena’s voice. 

Lena hasn’t said a word since she came in the door, and since Kara’s kind of dreading but at the same time yearning for the difficult conversation they’re about to have, she decides to bite the bullet and start them off. She just really hopes Lena is as understanding about the Supergirl situation as she has made herself out to be in the past few weeks, and that they can overcome this whole situation together, as best friends. She doesn’t want to lose Lena, ever. And she also wants to make sure Lena knows she’ll always be there for her, no matter what might happen with Alex. 

But just as she has geared herself up, Lena beats her to the punch. „I have to tell you something, and I don’t know how you’re going to react. I’ve hyped myself up for this all day and if I don’t get it out now, I fear I’ll burst.” 

There’s a shimmer in Lena’s eyes, a determined set of her facial muscles, an inflection in her voice. Kara doesn’t pay attention to any of the signs, too preoccupied with the fact that this feels like déjà-vu – or déjà entendu, more accurately in this case – only this time she’s on Alex’s side of things. 

“Lena, whatever you have to tell me-” 

“I need to say this, Kara.” 

“I get that, but I-” 

“I agreed to work with the DEO”, Lena blurts out. 

“Um, wow”, Kara says with a confused smile. “You guys really can’t get enough of each other, can you?” It’s said lightly, but for a reason Kara doesn’t understand, Lena’s face falls. 

“It’s not like that. The government approached me. I’m working on something they’re interested in.” 

Okay. That sounds ominous. It sounds dangerous. It’s serious, and unexpected. Kara has questions. She has a lot of questions and can’t decide which one’s the most important one, so she decides to ask them all in a row. “Does Alex know? Who exactly approached you? What kind of experiment is it?” 

“Yes, she was with me when I got the call this morning. The request came from Colonel Hayley. And as for the experiment…” 

Lena hesitates. Kara throws her an encouraging look. “You can tell me, you know. I won’t be mad.” 

“Oh, if only that were true”, Lena sighs. 

“Lena. I’ve lied to you about Supergirl for years. Whatever you did, you’re here telling me about it now. That counts for a lot.” 

“In my experiments, I’m reducing mitophagy while increasing mitochondrial efficiency at the same time.” 

Kara frowns. “Okay, Krypton’s education was very much advanced to earth’s, but you do know I’m not Alex, right? I mean, she probably understands what that means-” 

“She does”, Lena interrupts. “I told her a while ago. Right before we got together.” 

“See?”, Kara smiles. “Alex and I might have different ways of approaching things sometimes, but if she’s okay with it, why wouldn’t I be?” 

But Lena doesn’t look relieved at all. “You remember our conversation from Thanksgiving?” Kara nods, cautiously, and Lena watches as realization begins to dawn. Kara might not have Alex’s quick and practical grasp of science, but she can definitely put two and two together. 

“Have you tested it?”, she asks. “On humans?” 

“One”, Lena says. “He died.” 

“Oh”, Kara says. “How do – how does that-”

“I kept some of the Harun-El”, Lena admits. 

“Oh”, Kara says again. 

“This isn’t personal”, Lena implores. “It’s about levelling the playing field, and-” 

“You said that”, Kara interrupts. “At Thanksgiving. And I understand that, in a way. But you didn’t know then. That I’m Supergirl. And now you do.” 

“That’s right”, Lena agrees. “But that doesn’t change anything.” 

There’s a few seconds of silence between them that are anything but comfortable. Kara opens her mouth to say something, then closes it again. Then she bites out: “And Alex?” 

Lena drops her gaze. “She’s suspicious about the government’s motives. We agreed that I should take the offer to work with the DEO, if only to keep up appearances, and together we will-” 

“That’s not what I meant.” 

Lena knows that. It’s just that it’s really difficult to answer what Kara is really asking. “As far as I know, Alex still agrees with my project.” 

Kara scoffs, the hurt clearly visible on her face. “As far as you know?” 

“Kara, Alex loves you. And she supports Supergirl. All she’s doing is trying to find the best way to deal with the situation at hand. The Elite, the Children of Liberty, the government. They all want something and they’re all willing to walk over dead bodies to get it. Alex does what she thinks is right. So do I.” 

Kara is silent, and Lena decides it’s time to open up a bit. 

“Have you ever heard of David Hume?” 

“No”, Kara answers, confused by the sudden change of topics. 

“He was a historian and philosopher in the eighteenth century. He said that there is a significant difference between descriptive statements and normative statements that many people are disregarding.” 

“I don’t- Lena”, Kara sighs. “I’m assuming that whatever it is you’re trying to tell me is actually important to the conversation we’re having about you trying to give humans superpowers, but I really don’t understand what you’re saying.” 

“Well, descriptive statements are based on empirical evidence. I mean, they can still be factually incorrect, but principally speaking, they’re statements about what is. Normative statements are statements about what should be. They express judgement. So, for example, saying that National City is safer with Supergirl out there fighting the bad guys is a descriptive statement. Saying that National City would be safer if Supergirl took care of even more crime is a prescriptive statement. It’s an opinion. Hume called it the “is-ought problem”…that it’s not always obvious how someone can move from a descriptive statement to a prescriptive one.” 

“Okay but isn’t it obvious in the example you used? If Supergirl makes the city safe, wouldn’t more of Supergirl make the city safer?”, Kara asks, anger in her voice. Her arms – previously crossed in front of her body – automatically move into the hero stance at her sides. 

“Would it? God, Kara, I really do think more of you could only make the world better, but a hero also attracts villains. Would more of Supergirl mean more villains? And what about the police? How would they react if Supergirl was basically replacing them? But then, you can’t do everything the police does, so would they just be relegated to be your sidekicks? And you’d have to be Supergirl fulltime, so what happens to Kara Danvers? It’s not black and white. And we can twist this however we like. From Ben Lockwood’s point of view, aliens are a problem – which is true for some, so it would make sense for him to deduce that less aliens would mean less problems. The Elite has a similar point of view on humans, or at least the Children of Liberty. But there’s a fact-value gap in all these statements. How can we decide how things ought to be if we have no experience with those theoretical outcomes? It’s a principle of ethics. And I realize how that sounds when it’s coming from me, someone who’s experimenting with humans, fundamentally changing their DNA. But here’s the thing: I’m just making up how I think the world should be, too. I see that people are afraid, because they’re powerless, and I think that giving them power back will help the situation.” 

“Or make it much worse”, Kara argues. “I hear what you’re saying, I really do. But isn’t more power just mutually assured destruction? This sounds a lot like an arms race.” 

Lena sighs. “Well I’m not going to just give the government unrestricted access-” 

Kara holds up her hands, stopping Lena’s sentence. “So who’s going to decide who gets to have superpowers? You?” 

“Well if it was me, the first person I would give them to would be Alex.” It’s only partly a joke, and they both know it. Alex would be an obvious choice. Alex is informed and trustworthy. Alex would be able to handle superpowers – both physically and mentally – the best out of everyone Lena can imagine. More than that, Alex would use these powers to protect people, and even when it’s not always clear what the right thing to do is, protecting people can never be wrong.

“We got into an argument about that, actually”, Kara reveals. “After the mind-wipe, before I told you guys who I am. I mean, it wasn’t about humans having superpowers, but it was about me having them. She said that I am the girl of steel and that I don’t know what it’s like to feel vulnerable.” 

Lena takes a step forward. The entire conversation, she and Kara had stood across from each other, like soldiers on two different sides, and even if they can’t get on the same side, Lena at least wants to be closer than they are right now. “Vulnerable is exactly what so many people in this city are feeling right now.” 

“Yeah, but how will superpowers help that? I’ve felt so weak and vulnerable even with these powers. You know what’s been my strength ever since I came to this earth? Alex? Plain, human, Alex.” 

“I think we can agree there’s nothing plain about Alex”, Lena tries to lighten the mood. “And I’m not saying my experiment is an easy fix. I agree that not everyone should have superhuman powers. Too many people would abuse them. And I agree that one person choosing who receives them is also dangerous. But I just think of all the good things that could come of this. I didn’t originally have a specific person in mind, but thinking about what Alex could do with these powers, what you both could do together…” 

“I think you’re basing this notion of a Danvers sisters crime-fighting duo on a lot of assumptions.” 

“Well, that’s why prescriptive statements are a naturalistic fallacy. You can’t take a descriptive view of the world and deduce an ethical imperative. Not without additional assumptions. And I’m going on the assumption that the way you two have worked together would only be improved by your sister being able to withstand being stabbed and shot.” Lena shudders at her own words. She doesn’t want to think about Alex being hurt, let alone say it out loud as if it was already a given. 

“That would be a bonus, yes”, Kara agrees. “Although Alex would never put on a cape. She loves her combat suit, but what she loves most about it is that it’s black and makes her blend in.” Finally, there’s a small smile on her face. 

“There’s a reason she’s working in the shadows”, Lena mumbles. 

“What?” 

“Something Alex once said to me.” 

“Right”, Kara nods. “When we captured Mercy Graves and her brother, she told them that she’s not good at inspiring hope, but that I was. I think that’s only partly true. She inspires hope in me all the time. And she’s a leader. She’s just more on the strategic side than the emotional, and that works more for soldiers than it does for civilians.” 

“In any case, it works for me”, Lena admits. “If you have Alex Danvers believing in you, how could you possibly doubt yourself?” 

“I know that feeling very well”, Kara smiles. “Look, Lena...you said that it doesn’t change anything. That you now know that I’m Supergirl. Does that include our friendship?” 

“Oh Kara. Yes, of course it does. I was a bit angry, I’ll admit that, but I promise we’re fine. What about you?” 

“What about me?” 

“I told you about my experiments and we discussed the ramifications, but other than making it clear that you don’t agree, you didn’t tell me how it changes our relationship.” 

“It doesn’t change our relationship. You’re still my best friend Lena. I’m not – I don’t agree with it, not really. I’m sorry, but I have to be honest. I don’t agree with it, but I do trust you. You have to do what you think is right. I’m not going to stand in the way of that.” 

“When we fought about the Kryptonite, that wasn’t your tune.” 

“No, and I apologize for that. Kryptonite freaks me out, a lot. So does the Harun-El. But you outweigh that.” 

Lena is stunned for a second at the display of trust. “That means a lot to me. Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome”, Kara says, the usual warmth back in her voice. “This talk didn’t go like I thought it would. At all. But I’m glad we had it.” 

“What did you think it would go like?” 

“Well first of all I thought we were going to talk about me lying to you.” 

“I’m fine with that.” Off Kara’s sceptical look, Lena elaborates. “I’m not fine with being lied to per say, but I’m not mad you didn’t tell me about who you really are. You wiped Alex’s mind. If a secret is as important as that, I don’t have it in me to be mad about not being let in on it.” 

“Okay, well, I stocked up on that wine you like to butter you up, but I guess that was easier than expected. The other thing I had planned to talk about was how I’m here for you, no matter what might happen with Alex. And I wanted to talk about all the things that could possibly be a problem in your relationship.” 

“What problems are we talking about?”, Lena asks slowly. 

Kara’s eyes widen. “Hypothetical ones!” 

“Hypothetical problems in my relationship with your sister that would lead to you assuring me that you’re here for me?” 

“Okay, that didn’t come out right. I mean, I know you two are good. You work together as team. You make plans, you have each other’s back. From what I’ve seem so far, you’re really open and honest in your relationship. And I know that you care for each other a lot.” 

“But?” 

“But there’s never any guarantee for things working out. Look at Alex and Maggie. They were going to get married. I just don’t want either of you to be hurt, but more than that, I don’t want you to feel like you’d lose both of us if you’d somehow lose Alex. I’m really invested in you guys sorting out everything that could maybe become a problem so that you succeed as a couple because you’re so great together. But if you’re ever not great together, I’m still your best friend. I’m still here for you. You can cry on my shoulder and rant about what a jerk Alex is.” 

Lena does this thing where she smirks and rolls her eyes at the same time. “What if I’m the jerk?” 

“Then I’ll also still be here. And I’ll listen to Alex rant and cry. But I would never abandon either of you. We’re family, Lena.” 

“That’s the scary part about family, isn’t it? That you could screw up, and won’t even be able to run from it, because your family won’t let you.” 

“Right”, Kara nods seriously. “No running, Ms. Luthor.” 

“Ms. Luthor”, Lena repeats. “It’s funny, isn’t it? A Super, a Luthor, and a Danvers…” 

“Walk into a bar”, Kara quickly adds, dissolving into laughter. 

“You are a child”, Lena scolds mock serious. 

“I’m sorry”, Kara laughs. “I just really needed to lighten the mood.” 

“It’s fine”, Lena waves her off. “It probably wouldn’t do any good to go down that road, anyway. We are who we are. And we do what we have to do. If we’re still together by the end of the day…” 

“We’re the lucky ones”, Kara finishes. “We really are lucky.” 

“Yes we are”, Lena agrees. “Now, you said something about wine?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After so many serious conversations, it’s time for something light-hearted. The next part will focus on Alex and Lena and the fun they’re having :)


End file.
